Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros., sometimes referred to as Mario or SMB is a video game released by Nintendo for arcades in 1985, and again in late 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It made a huge impact on home entertainment when it was released, and is now considered a classic of the medium. Super Mario Bros. featured bright, expansive worlds that changed the way video games were created. Although often wrongly credited as the first scrolling platform game (there are at least a half dozen earlier), it is the first console original in this genre to feature smooth-scrolling levels, which made it a landmark in home video-gaming, and it is considered by a number of critics as one of the best games ever. Super Mario Bros. is listed in Guinness Book of World Records as the best-selling video game of all time, and was largely responsible for the initial success of the Nintendo Entertainment System, as well as ending the two year slump of video game sales in the United States after the video game crash of 1983. It has inspired countless imitators and was one of Shigeru Miyamoto's most influential early successes. The game starred the Italian plumber Mario and his slightly younger twin brother Luigi. Mario went on to become Nintendo's most well known mascot. The theme music, by Koji Kondo, is recognized world wide, even by those who have not played the game. The game was succeeded by a direct sequel in Japan (later retitled Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels outside Japan), and by Super Mario Bros. 2, a slight revision of Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic with playable Mario characters, elsewhere in the world. There is also another sequel called Super Mario Bros. Special released around the same time as the original sequel, but is was released only in Japan by Hudson Soft, so it was relatively obscure. Gameplay The player takes the role of Mario, or in the case of a second player, Mario's brother Luigi. The object is to race through the Mushroom Kingdom, evade or eliminate Bowser's forces, and save Princess Peach (also called Princess Toadstool). The Mario Brothers' primary attack is simply jumping on top of ("Stomping") their enemies, which kills the mushroom traitors (which in Japan are actually chestnuts and not mushrooms), known as Goombas, and sends the turtle soldiers known as Koopa Troopas into their shells. Mario and Luigi can then kick these shells into other enemies, which will conveniently dispatch them; but conversely, kicked shells can bounce back off walls or other vertical obstructions and hit them. Some enemies can be killed only by fireballs or shell impact; stomping them will hurt the Mario Bros. Jumping on enough enemies in succession or kicking a shell into enough enemies in succession results in double points earned with each enemy killed, eventually earning Mario or Luigi a 1-up another chance to pass the level. Mario and Luigi can also obtain 1-ups through finding 1-up mushrooms and by collecting 100 coins. Aiding them in their quest are several power-ups. Mario or Luigi can be hurt if either of them touches an enemy. If they are hit from an enemy as Super Mario/Luigi or Fire Mario/Luigi, he simply reverts to regular Mario/Luigi and the game continues. However, if he takes a hit as regular Mario, falls down a pit (regardless of status), or if the time clock runs out, he loses a life and starts again. The point where Mario continues depends on how far he ran through the level before dying: either from the very beginning or at an invisible "checkpoint" partway through the level. There are no checkpoints in castles or in world 8, the final world. Mario can also collect a Starman and become invincible. Invincible Mario is impervious to the touch of enemy characters and most obstacles, although he will still die if he falls in a pit, falls into lava, or if time runs out. at the end of World 8]] The game consists of eight worlds with four levels in each world. Though each world is different, there are basic similarities: typically the first sub-world is a generic above-ground (overworld) level, the second is in an underground dungeon on Worlds 1 and 4 or underwater on Worlds 2 and 7 (or in the overworld with a unique challenge), the third is almost always a series of platforms suspended high in the sky, and the fourth is always a fortress or castle. The third and sixth worlds take place at night, and all other worlds take place during the day. At the end of each castle level, Mario fights "King Koopa" (who, until the final level, is actually a lesser enemy disguised as King Koopa) across a bridge over a pool of lava. In the later worlds (worlds 6-8), King Koopa throws hammers as well as occasional jets of fire breath. King Koopa may be defeated in one of two ways: either by touching the axe at the edge of the bridge (thereby dropping King Koopa into the lava) or, as Fiery Mario, throwing fireballs at him to defeat him directly, revealing what enemy is in disguise; this is the only method one can use to receive points for Koopa's defeat. At the end of each world save the last, Mario is greeted with the words, "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!", spoken by a Mushroom Retainer, which became a popular quotation among gamers. After beating the game, the player is given the option to start the game again in "'Hard' Mode", where all Goombas are replaced by Buzzy Beetles (Koopa Troopa-like enemies who cannot be killed by fireballs), and all enemies walk faster. In addition, the elevator-style lifts are about 60% their original size throughout. There are also some hazards in the earlier worlds that only appear in "Hard Mode". For example, in World 1-3 random Bullet Bills fly across the screen, a danger that normally only appears in certain later levels. Players may get to the beginning of any world with a relatively small amount of effort by using hidden warp zones in a number of levels. One is in level 1-2 and is reached by walking on the blocks at the top of the level passing the exit pipe. This zone allows jumping to worlds 2, 3 and 4. The other two are in 4-2; one is reached in the same manner as the one in 1-2 but this only allows access to world 5. The other is reached through a beanstalk that grows from a hidden block and takes the player into a surface area that leads to worlds 6, 7, and 8. Minus World By passing through a solid wall near the World 1-2 exit due to a glitch, it is possible to travel to World -1 also known as the "Minus World" or "World Negative One" and considered by the game to be "World 36". This stage is identical to Worlds 2-2 and 7-2, but upon entering the warp pipe at the end, the player is taken back to the start of the level. Exploiting the same glitch in the Japanese Famicom Disk System is considerably different and has three levels, after which the player is returned to the title screen as though he or she completed the game. This glitch has been fixed in the Super Mario All-Stars remake as well as in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. In Super Mario All-Stars, a player attempting to get to the Minus World will find that the pipes lead to Worlds 2, 3, or 4 as if he or she had accessed the Warp Zone in the usual manner. Interestingly enough, in the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console version of Super Mario Bros., the glitch still remains from the original. As in the NES version, if you go to the pipes on either end of the warp room, you will go to the Minus World; however, if you go to the middle pipe, it takes you to World 5. In vs. Super Mario Bros. (the arcade cabinet version of Super Mario Bros.), the Minus World cannot be reached using the well-known method as the two bricks that allow the player to access the Minus World have been removed. Surprisingly, the emulated version of Super Mario Bros. seen in Animal Crossing is, in fact, the original unedited version, which includes this glitch. Small Fire Mario Also accessed through a glitch, it is possible for Mario to obtain his Fire powers while remaining in a small state. (As of this writing, the glitch is present in the original NES game, Animal Crossing, the Classic NES Series release, and the Wii Virtual Console release.) To begin with, you'll need to be facing King Koopa during the fourth stage of any world (outside of World 8). Mario must be his Super size for this to work. To activate the glitch, Mario must touch King Koopa (reverting him to his normal state) at the EXACT same time he collects the axe (that destroys the bridge). A jump must be timed just right in order for both events to occur at once. If performed correctly, Mario will flash (as if he was hit) while the bridge is destroyed. Mario will also glide towards the Toad retainer as opposed to running towards him. At this point, the glitch will have reversed what is considered "Normal Mario" and "Super Mario". At the beginning of the next stage, Mario will start out as Super size, but one hit will make him lose a life (returning him to normal size upon death). Obtaining a Super Mushroom power-up will cause Mario to shrink down to his Normal size, and getting hit will cause him to grow back to his Super size. Obtaining a Fire Flower power-up will allow Mario to throw fireballs (and have his red/white color scheme), but still remain small and not able to break regular blocks. Also, the act of throwing a fireball will allow Mario to grow to Super size for only a split second before returning to normal size (most likely because a "Small Fire Mario throwing fireball" sprite was never created). The next time Mario loses a life, the glitch is "fixed" and the power-ups return to normal. As with the Minus World, this glitch has been fixed in the Super Mario All-Stars remake as well as in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. Alternate versions As one of Nintendo's most popular games, Super Mario Bros. has been re-released and remade numerous times, ranging from an arcade version released soon before the original NES release. More recently, it was released as an unlockable game in the GameCube game Animal Crossing. 'Game and Watch' Super Mario Bros. was one of the many NES games re-released for the Game & Watch. This version featured auto-scrolling levels and only a few simple platforms to jump across, due to the Game & Watch limitations. Famicom Disk System In Japan, Super Mario Bros. was also released for the Famicom Disk System, Nintendo's proprietary floppy disk drive for the Famicom. This version was largely identical to the cartridge version. It was much cheaper because of the cheaper media. ''Vs. Super Mario Bros. One alternate version, ''Vs. Super Mario Bros., is nearly a separate game in its own right. This game, one of several games made for Nintendo's NES-based arcade cabinet, the Nintendo Vs. Unisystem (and its variant, the Nintendo Vs. Dualsystem), is based on Super Mario Bros., and has identical gameplay. The stages are different, however; the early stages are subtly different, with small differences like the omission of 1-up mushrooms or other hidden items, but later stages are changed entirely. (Many of these later, changed stages reappeared in the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2.) These changes have a net effect of making Vs. Super Mario Bros. much more difficult than the original Super Mario Bros. As with many older arcade games, it is not clear exactly when this game was released; while the arcade boards themselves are stamped 1985. ''All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. ''All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. is a version of Super Mario Bros. with graphics based upon a radio show, called 'All Night Nippon', that was very popular in Japan in 1986. It was released for the Famicom Disk System. The game, which was released only in Japan, was a special promotional version that was given away by the Japanese radio station 'All Night Nippon' in raffles in 1986. The game borrows levels from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2 (Japanese version), and Vs. Super Mario Bros. The enemies and the mushroom retainers at the end of Bowser's forts are replaced with Japanese music idols, famous recording artists, and DJs, as well as other people related to 'All Night Nippon.' It was published by Fuji Television, the same company that published Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic (which was later remade into Super Mario USA, a.k.a. Super Mario Bros. 2). ''Super Mario All-Stars'' In 1993, Nintendo released an enhanced SNES compilation titled Super Mario All-Stars. It includes all of the Super Mario Bros. games released for the NES/Famicom. The version of Super Mario Bros. included in the compilation had improved graphics and sound to match the SNES's 16-bit gameplay capabilities. The new version also included a save game feature. Several glitches from the original NES release were also fixed. ''Super Mario Bros. Deluxe'' In 1999, Super Mario Bros. was released on the Game Boy Color, under the title Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. It featured simultaneous multiplayer, a Challenge mode and also included the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 (which was released on Super Mario All-Stars as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels) as an unlockable extra. It also was compatible with the Game Boy Printer. However, the game did not feature any upgraded visuals (aside from some graphics such as water and lava now being animated rather than static), and since the screen resolution of the Game Boy Color was smaller than the NES, the view distance of the player is reduced. To compensate, players can press up and down to see above and below the player. Pressing select during the game also places Mario/Luigi in the middle or off to the left of the screen so that player can see well. Players can also alternate characters by pressing select on the map screen. Classic NES series In early 2004, Nintendo re-released the game on the Game Boy Advance in Japan as part of their Famicom Minis collection and in the U.S. as part of the Classic NES Series. Unlike previous re-releases, these versions contain no graphical updates. Super Mario Bros. was one of the best-selling of these rereleases; according to the NPD Group (which tracks game sales in North America), this re-released version of Super Mario Bros. was the best-selling Game Boy Advance game in June 2004, and as of June 2004 the GBA's sixth-best-selling game overall. Virtual Console Super Mario Bros. was released on December 25, 2006 in Japan and North America and on January 5 in Europe and Australia for Wii's Virtual Console at a cost of 500 Wii points, the equivalent of $5 US. Animal Crossing Super Mario Bros. is one of the NES games included in the Nintendo GameCube game Animal Crossing. The only known way to unlock Super Mario Bros. is by use of a game modification device, like the Game Shark or Action Replay. This version of Super Mario Bros. is the original unedited version, which includes the famous "Minus World" glitch. Development staff *Directed by: Shigeru Miyamoto *Executive Producer: Hiroshi Yamauchi *Assistant Director: Takashi Tezuka *Original Music by: Koji Kondo *NOA Producer: Leslie Swan Category:Virtual Console games Category:Nintendo Category:2D platform games